Red Eyes
by bulletproofweeks
Summary: A little girl is kidnapped and it is up to the CBI team to find her and bring her home. But will their pursuit of the abductor throw them in over their heads? Jane/Lisbon, Jisbon, Drama, Suspense, Romance, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Mystery, COMPLETE
1. Compassion

Chapter 1:

The following takes place in San Francisco, California.

3:45 PM

Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon stepped into the CBI office, after a long meeting with her boss, to find the majority of her team working diligently. Majority is the key word. Grace Van Pelt was perfecting her report on the last case, Rigsby was fielding phone calls, and Cho was sifting through papers in the nearest filing cabinet. Lisbon briefly acknowledged her colleagues before moving past her desk and towards the leather couch placed against the wall near the windows. Her footsteps echoed on the hardwood floors until she found herself looking down on the sleeping consultant. She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped herself suddenly. Patrick Jane looked peaceful in his sleep… and everyone knew he needed it. She turned away, deciding that his "unique" skills were not needed for paperwork.

As soon as she had turned and taken a few steps back towards her desk, a voice came from behind her.

"So, you're going to just let me sleep on the job, boss?" Jane questioned, his eyes still closed. "Interesting." He muttered.

"Not interesting." Lisbon countered, facing Jane with a faint frown. She was in no mood to deal with his antics, so she decided to answer logically. "You need the rest or you're of no use to us."

"Does that mean you're admitting my usefulness?" He answered quickly, his lips forming a smug grin.

"You have the job don't you?" Lisbon replied with a question, refusing to surrender any ground that would reinforce Jane's overconfident nature.

"That didn't answer the question." Jane pointed out, opening his eyes to see his boss. "Do you want to know what I think?"

Lisbon rolled her eyes and shook her head slightly. "Do I ever have a choice?"

"Well, yes, but since you didn't refuse." Jane paused to read her reaction, "I think deep down, under your hard exterior, you felt a strange feeling of compassion."

"Or maybe I was avoiding a pointless conversation like this one." She responded quickly, her eyes signaling the end of said conversation. "Now get up."

"Sure, boss." Jane stated, swinging his legs onto the floor.

"Boss, we have a call." Rigsby announced; his hand placed over the phone receiver. Van Pelt and Cho looked up from their desks. "A 9 year old girl has gone missing, presumably abducted."


	2. Grief

Chapter 2

4:15 PM

It was another sunny afternoon in California, yet Jane felt the air was choked with despair as the CBI team walked down the elaborate halls of the victim's mansion. Patrick Jane stood in the large doorframe of the nearest room, watching as Lisbon tried to console a weeping mother. The grieving mother was sitting in the armchair with her husband standing by her side. Mrs. Susan Cunningham had long blond hair and bright blue eyes and her husband, Mr. Will Cunningham, had dark brown hair with a pair of dark brown eyes. He was average-sized while his wife was petite. Their 15-year-old son Collin sat on the sofa a few feet away from his parents. He was thin and took after his father with his dark hair and eyes. Jane remained aloof while eyeing the collection of family photos lined along the shelves.

"Mr. Cunningham, we will need to ask you and your family some questions." Lisbon stated politely. The couple nodded, grief apparent in their faces. Collin hardly acknowledged Lisbon as his eyes were trained on the floor. "When did you last see your daughter Melony?"

"This morning before school, but when I arrived at 2:50 to pick her up… she was gone." Mrs. Cunningham replied delicately. Her hands were shaking with grief and her eyes were red and swollen from all her crying.

"Do you have any enemies with a motive for doing this?" Lisbon asked calmly.

"None that I can think of." Mr. Cunningham replied without hesitance, yet Jane knew by a quick flicker of his eyes that for one brief moment a name came to his mind. However, the man decided not to name names, which leaves two likely possibilities. First, the guilty party is a close friend or family member that he hopes he can deal with on his own or second, he believes that the killer is beyond the power of the police and can only be dealt with personally. Either way there is an inevitable confrontation between him and the abductor. Either way there is a reason to keep the little girl alive.

"Can you please give us a current description of Melony?" Lisbon asked carefully. Jane stored his thoughts and studied Mr. Cunningham as he gave a description.

"9 years old. Blond hair. Green eyes. We can give you a picture." Mr. Cunningham answered solemnly, shuffling through his pockets for his wallet. Cho took the picture from the man. Jane noticed that the photo was recent.

"Do you remember what she was wearing this morning?" Lisbon questioned. Mr. Cunningham looked to his wife, unknowingly signaling to Jane that he hadn't seen his daughter that morning.

"Um…" The wife hesitated while recalling that morning, "she was wearing her school uniform and… her hair is always in a ponytail." Her description struck Jane as extremely vague. Collin lifted his head to look at his mother, constrained anger evident in his features. Jane noted the redness in his eyes and how his hands were also shaking.

"Anything else? It doesn't matter how insignificant." Lisbon continued, apparently thinking the same as Jane.

"I'm sorry… I don't- I don't remember," the mother admitted, bursting into tears. The only sound in the room was her sobbing until Jane interrupted.

"I have a question." Jane announced so everyone in the room turned to him. "Did you drive your daughter to school this morning?" He directed the question at Mrs. Cunningham.

"Yes, of course." She responded, her overflow of tears weakening slightly. "I dropped her off around… 7:50." She furthered. Jane nodded, accepting the answer.

"Have you received a ransom or any threats?" Cho questioned.

"No. Nothing." Mrs. Cunningham answered, tears flowing again. "Please say you can find her." She moved her hand to cover her mouth to silence her sobs.

"Don't worry, honey, they'll find her." The husband comforted his wife, squatting down to kiss her cheek. With that Jane silently removed himself in search of Melony's room.


	3. Control

Chapter 3

4:26 PM

Lisbon noticed Jane leaving the room and felt the need to follow him. She reassured the couple one last time before leaving in search of Jane. She toured the halls until she found him in what looked to be Melony's bedroom. The walls were painted in a light sky blue, but were almost hidden by all the pictures of friends and movie posters. The bed was black, as was most of the furniture in the room, which was a stark contrast to the lighter shades of blues and purples in the bedding. Overall, the room was neat and put together.

"Jane? What are you doing?" Lisbon asked curiously, tilting her head to see his figure lying on the bed.

"The mother is lying." Jane answered, sitting up.

"Not every parent is a crook and not every parent secretly hates their daughter." She reminded him, trying to understand Jane's reasoning.

"I never said she did. Only that she's lying." Jane countered.

"About what?" Lisbon asked curiously. "Those tears didn't look fake."

"The grief is real. The facts aren't. Mrs. Cunningham didn't see her daughter that morning and the only reason she would pretend she had is because her husband expected her to be. She obviously blames herself for the abduction, hence tears."

"Where was the mother then?" Lisbon asked skeptically.

"She was somewhere she wasn't supposed to be. You need to question the nanny if you want to really know what happened that morning."

"Fine," Lisbon conceded, "but this whole theory is premised on the idea that the mother didn't see Melony."

"A parent would remember what their daughter looked like, especially after something like this." Jane pointed out, looking directly at his boss. "She would remember her earrings, her jacket, her hair band, something…"

"Not necessarily." Lisbon replied.

"Trust me on this one." Jane furthered. Very rarely did Jane ever ask her to support his theory on a hunch with limited evidence. He always had a reason behind it, but Lisbon let it drop.

"So Melony's parents are not perfect." Lisbon pointed out. "It's not really a motive."

"Well, Melony didn't get along with her mother and her father is never around."

"How…?" Lisbon began to ask, but was interrupted.

"This room is a light blue, but you can see from all these photos that Melony's favorite color is green." Jane explained, looking around the room. "The mother's favorite color is blue. The mother's controlling and the father doesn't see her very often. Question the nanny."

"I'll send Cho and Van Pelt to the school and Rigsby can finish things up here. Then we'll talk to the nanny." With that Jane and Lisbon left to find the rest of the team.


	4. Responsibility

**Thank you for all your comments! Cho, Van Pelt, and Rigsby don't come in until the next chapter. Sorry. :) Also, forgive my Spanish if it is incorrect.  
**

Chapter 4

5:02 PM

"I no time to answer cop's questions." Mrs. Lacayo, the nanny, scurried around the kitchen seemingly oblivious to the bustle of cops around her. "House must be clean with all these people here." She had black hair and was probably in her 40's. Her eyes were a dark brown and she had trouble speaking English and when she did, she spoke with a strong Spanish accent.

"Ma'am, it is important that we speak with you about Melony." Lisbon continued politely, but Mrs. Lacayo would not cease her persistent cleaning.

"Sorry. I can no help you."

"Ma'am…" Lisbon tried again, but Jane interrupted.

"Nicaragua?" The nanny looked at him curiously. "You're from Nicaragua." Jane reiterated.

"Sí señor." She answered with a curt nod obviously surprised that he recognized her heritage. Now that he had her attention, he reached out his hand to touch hers.

"People deal with their grief differently." He started in calming voice, his eyes full of sympathy. "But cleaning the house will not bring back Melony. Talking to us might."

"It will only be a minute of your time." Lisbon added supportively. Mrs. Lacayo paused, looking at the two CBI agents, and then sighed.

"She is very good girl. Never trouble." Mrs. Lacayo explained with a faint smile. Her eyes stared downward, as if recalling a memory. "Even helps with cooking when she can. She love cooking."

"Did you see her this morning?" Lisbon questioned. Mrs. Lacayo looked up from her thoughts.

"Sí. I make her food." She answered.

"Did you drive her to school?" Lisbon asked.

"No, señora."

"Did Mrs. Cunningham take Melony to school?"

"…Sí."

"Por qué estas mintiendo?" Jane inquired in Spanish. Lisbon turned to look at Jane, surprised that he knew the language.  
[Why are you lying?]

"No. Esto es la verdad." She argued.  
[No. This is the truth.]

"Dónde estuvó señora Cunningham esta mañana?" Lisbon also asked in Spanish, sharing a brief look with Jane. He's not the only one with talents.  
[Where was Mrs. Cunningham this morning?]

"Por favor? Para Melony?" Jane added, like adding frosting to a cake. She couldn't possibly turn it down. The woman sighed again.  
[Please? For Melony?]

"I do no know. Señor Cunningham was travel on business. He flew, what you call, red-eye last night and got here this morning after I left. Señora was not home."

"All night?" Lisbon asked, surprised by her answer.

"Sí. She did no come so I stay to watch Melony last night."

"And you drove her to school in the morning?" Lisbon asked. Lacayo turned her eyes away and nodded furtively. "Did you notice anything suspicious?"

"No." The nanny replied with a tinge of emotion entering her voice. "I waited for her to reach front step before I leave." Her eyes seemed desperate suddenly, so Jane put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"Did Mrs. Cunningham pick her up?" Lisbon asked in a careful tone.

"Sí. She call me and tell me so."

"At what time did she call?"

"One I think."

"Can you give us a description of Melony?" Lisbon asked, testing Jane's theory.

"Green eyes, blond hair. Um… she got her ears pierced last month. She wears little blue ones and cross necklace I bought her for Christmas."

"Anything else?"

"It was cooler in morning. She brought green jacket and her blue… mochila?"  
[Backpack?]

"Backpack." Jane replied with a friendly smile.

"Sí." She smiled back.

"Thank you for your help." Lisbon finished gratefully. She turned to leave and Jane aimed to follow after giving Lacayo a final comforting smile. Before they left, Lacayo called after them.

"She is good mom." Both Lisbon and Jane turned back to face her. "She love Melony. She always there for her." Her eyes expressed the utmost honesty. "She would never put her in danger."


	5. Deception

Chapter 5

5:35 PM

The team was finally reunited at CBI headquarters over an order of Chinese food. Jane was the first to finish his meal. He set it aside and proceeded to shuffle through his pockets in search of something.

"So what did the school say?" Lisbon directed the question at Van Pelt.

"She was there all day according to her teacher Christy Bishop." She replied confidently, glancing over to see what Jane was doing. Jane gave up on his search.

"Does anyone have a quarter?" Jane asked, looking around the table. Cho reached into his pocket and handed him a quarter. "Thanks." Jane replied, flipping it in the air a few times.

"That would make Susan Cunningham are prime suspect." Rigsby declared. "The fact that Mrs. Cunningham didn't come home last night has to indicate something."

"She's having an affair… or at least she did." Jane stated. He then tossed the coin in the air and flipped it onto the top of his other hand, hiding it with his palm. He turned to Van Pelt and called, "heads." He removed his hand to reveal heads. Jane repeated the process, calling tails this time. He was right again.

"You're cheating." Van Pelt replied, trying to discover his trick.

"He's looking at the coin when he flips it." Cho concluded.

"Or he's just lucky." Rigsby offered with a shrug.

"How do you know she's having an affair?" Lisbon asked, continuing the previous conversation.

"Mr. Will Cunningham is not Melony's biological father." Jane explained, still facing Van Pelt. "You call it," he offered, holding up the coin. "_And_ I'll close my eyes," he directed the final statement at Cho, still smiling patiently.

"Tails." Van Pelt replied, watching him intently. Jane called heads, closed his eyes, tossed the coin again, and placed it face down on the top of his other hand. When he revealed the coin, it was heads. He opened his eyes and smiled. He kept repeating the trick to prove it wasn't luck.

"How do you do that?" Van Pelt asked, but Jane only smiled in reply.

"Will's not Melony's father?" Rigsby remarked, simultaneously studying Jane's trick.

"Isn't it obvious?" Jane stated bluntly, but continued to explain after receiving blank stares. "She looks nothing like him and those green eyes are a dead give away. The mother has blue eyes and the father has brown. Brown eyes are dominant, so if she were related to him she would have to have brown eyes or at least blue eyes. Not to mention, no one else in the family has green eyes."

"How do you know that?" Cho asked in a steady tone.

"The family photos in their living room." Jane answered quickly, still flipping the coin obsessively.

"Maybe the father found out she was cheating on him or that his daughter is not actually his daughter." Rigsby commented.

"Wait, you're actually buying this?" Van Pelt asked, not believing the bizarre theory.

"Yeah." Rigsby shrugged.

"Well if Jane is right then Melony's biological father might have wanted custody of her and picked her up from school." Lisbon said as she finished her rice.

"The girl knew her abductor. She could've screamed and everyone at carpool would've known about it." Rigsby argued.

"Maybe she knows her biological father." Cho stated.

"Does anyone else think that this theory is a little far-fetched?" Van Pelt asked, surprised by everyone's support.

"Yes, but it's the best lead we have." Lisbon confessed, tossing the rest of her meal. "Cho, find out whether Mrs. Cunningham had an affair and with whom. We need some actual evidence before we can bring her in for questioning." She ordered, as she got to her feet. "Van Pelt, confirm that the father was on a business trip."

"What about me, boss?" Rigsby asked, hoping for a decent task.

"Go back to the Cunningham's house and wait for the ransom."

"But if it's the biological father, there is no ransom." Rigsby pointed out.

"We're not sure about anything at this point. It's best that we cover all our options." Lisbon explained. Rigsby nodded, his eyes revealing disappointment.

"In that case I'll go with Rigsby." Jane responded while tossing Cho the coin and pulling on his jacket.

"Don't you want to prove your theory?" Lisbon asked, surprised by Jane's response.

"_Your_ theory. I never said I thought he did it." Jane answered with a grin.

"In other words, you think there'll be a ransom?" Lisbon asked, trying to figure out who Jane suspected.

"I'm just covering all my options." Jane replied briefly before heading to the door. Rigsby quickly grabbed his jacket and followed.

"Keep me informed." Lisbon called after them.

**There is an actual trick to winning heads and tails that will be explained later in the story.**


	6. Anger

Chapter 6

**Thanks for all the wonderful reviews!  
**

6:10 PM

The tension in the Cunningham's house was unbearable, even for Jane. Will Cunningham was pacing, while his wife sat in a chair staring into space. Collin was standing at the window staring out at the lawn. No one was saying anything and Jane couldn't stand it.

"Where are you going?" Rigsby broke the silence as he noticed Jane wandering towards the hall. Everyone in the room turned to look at him.

"To look around." Jane shrugged. "I figured you could handle things here," Jane stated simply, "but if you can't..." He started saying, but was interrupted by Rigsby… as planned.

"No, of course." Rigsby replied quickly. "I can take care of things here no problem." He reassured him.

"You sure?" Jane asked.

"Yeah, you go look around." Rigsby insisted with the wave of his hand.

"Okay." Jane shrugged leaving the room as he previously intended. Jane peered into the different rooms one after another until he finally found what he was looking for. The room was a mess, with clothes scattered everywhere, but what Jane really noticed was the array of photos covering the wall. They differed greatly from those in the living room. They had an artistic quality and they were photos of ordinary life rather than vacations or parties. One specific photo caught his eye above the bed. It was a recent picture of Collin and Melony, both of them smiling in what looked to be Melony's room. He could tell it was recent because the girl's ears were pierced. Next to it was a photo of Collin and some of his friends, with Melony looking a little out of place by his side.

_They seem close_, Jane thought to himself as he turned back to the mess on the floor. He walked to the boy's desk and picked up the closest shirt and sniffed it.

"What are you doing in my room? Get out!" Collin ordered angrily from the door way. Jane turned around, the shirt still in his hands. He watched as fear flickered in the boy's eyes when he saw the shirt. Jane noted how the boy's complexion was paler than earlier.

"Just looking." Jane shrugged with a smile.

"Yeah? Have a warrant?" Collin remarked, taking a step towards him.

"Nope." Jane answered simply. His eyes drifted to the wall of photos. "You like photography?" Collin followed his gaze.

"Yeah. Now get out of my room." He continued with a deep frown.

"Or what? You'll call the cops?" Jane mocked, revealing a confident grin. The grin faded slightly, as he changed the subject. "Are you and your sister close?"

"What? You think I did it?" Collin countered defensively.

"Never said I did." Jane stated. Collin laughed slightly.

"You think you know everything, don't you?" He challenged with an even gaze.

"If I did, I would've found your sister by now." Jane answered, watching the boy's every move. "Is there something I should know?" He asked curiously. Collin didn't move, so Jane answered for him. "You're mad at your mom."

"Think so, huh?" Collin replied with a smirk, neither denying nor accepting Jane's statement.

"You're mad because she's cheating on your dad and because she's never around to take care of you and your sister." Jane continued, reading the boy's body language.

"I don't need taking care of." Collin argued, still refusing to deny anything, yet he didn't seem surprised at the news of an affair.

"But your sister does." Jane pointed out and with that he saw the teenager's eyes soften. "Where were you last night?" He questioned.

"Home." Collin responded without much thought.

"Highly doubt that." Jane smiled again at his cleverness.

"Why?" Collin asked, truly bemused by the man's confidence.

"Your clothes smell burnt, but your room doesn't. That means your careful not to smoke your stash here." Jane explained logically, watching as Collin shifted his stance nervously. "You even make sure to change out of your clothes as soon as you get home." Jane added. Collin frowned again.

"You don't have the right to come into my room and accuse me of doing drugs!" He yelled, but lowered his tone when he said 'drugs.'

"I find it interesting that you're outraged at my conduct rather than the accusation." Jane pointed out, his voice steady. Collin remained silent, so Jane explained. "Your eyes are bloodshot, you're pale, and your hands are always shaking." Collin stared at him, unsure of what to say. Jane could see the fear in his eyes. "Do you really think I'd arrest you on drug possession while your parents are waiting for a ransom call in the next room?" Jane asked. Collin visibly calmed. "I don't have the authority to arrest you even if I wanted to." Jane finished, still smiling.

"Y-you're not a cop?" Collin asked, confused.

"A consultant." Jane answered.

"Then what do you care if I smoke some weed every once in awhile?" Collin questioned, skeptical of the consultant's motives.

"I don't." Jane shrugged.

"My parents don't care." Collin commented more to himself than to Jane.

"What did Melony think of your parents?" Jane asked. Collin shifted his gaze to the floor.

"Melony had some disagreements with mom, but she never gets mad at anyone. She's passive. All she ever wants is for people to get along." He shrugged sadly.

"You seem to admire her for that." Jane observed. Collin looked up.

"She's a good little sister." Collin responded with a sad, thoughtful smile. There was only a brief moment of silence before Rigsby's voice echoed down the hall.

"Jane!" Jane moved to the door, followed closely by Collin. They rushed down the hall until they arrived back in the living room where Mr. Cunningham was picking up the phone. Rigsby signaled the other police officers to start recording and tracing the call.

"Hello?" Mr. Cunningham answered with uncertainty.

"If you want your daughter returned alive, you will give me $20,000 in cash by tomorrow at 2 PM." The voice was male, but was distorted.

"H-how?" Mr. Cunningham asked, worry evident in his voice.

"You will put the money in a backpack and place it on a bus and only after I count it will you get your daughter back." The voice was stern and straightforward.

"H-how do I know she's alive?" Mr. Cunningham asked fearfully.

"You don't," the voice declared. Jane noticed a muffled laugh in the background. He watched as Susan Cunningham began to cry uncontrollably. The fear in Mr. Cunningham's eyes was replaced with anger. Jane turned to look at Collin whose frown deepened and whose hand was coiled into a fist.

"You bastard! Let me speak to her!" The man yelled, shaking with fury.

"Just bring the money. I will call again tomorrow with the details." The voice stated calmly before being replaced with a dial tone.

"Oh my god," escaped Susan's lips.


	7. Reason

Chapter 7

6:34 PM

Patrick Jane stood on the front step of the mansion calling agent Lisbon.

"Hello."

"We have a ransom." Jane told her.

"How much do they want?" Lisbon asked urgently.

"$20,000." Jane stated. There was a pause before Lisbon responded.

"Only 20,000?" Lisbon asked to make sure. "The family's rich they could've asked for a lot more." She reasoned.

"They're not professionals. They need the money for a specific purpose and they're desperate." Jane answered.

"Then why this family?"

"Melony knew the kidnapper. It was easy." Jane explained.

"I guess Mr. Cunningham is the father." Lisbon commented.

"He's not and he knows he's not." Jane objected.

"You have no way of being sure."

"Bring in the mother for questioning, and I recommend you find the biological father before Mr. Cunningham does." Jane replied, as if his answer made perfect sense.

"Cho found nothing on a secret lover. Maybe the nanny was lying or maybe she had some other reason for being away all night." Lisbon argued, hoping to find a flaw in Jane's theory. It was contrived, but it made sense. Lisbon sighed. "How sure are you about the affair?"

"100%." Jane answered without hesitating. "Ok, maybe 98.5%. Still close."

"If we're wrong, we'll probably get sued." Lisbon surmised.

"For what? Doing our jobs?" Jane replied logically.

"Fine. Tell Rigsby to bring her in." Lisbon ordered. She felt conflicted, wishing she knew what should be their next move. "You don't really think the mom's in on it, do you?" She asked with uncertainty.

"The kidnapper used a voice synthesizer." Jane stated bluntly.

"So? He probably got the idea from a movie." Lisbon remarked, not understanding Jane's point.

"He's worried someone will recognize his voice." Jane resolved.

"When's the deadline for the ransom?" Lisbon questioned.

"2:00 PM tomorrow. He wants us to put the money on a bus."

"Which bus?" Lisbon asked, surprised by the strange criteria.

"Didn't say."

"Do we know if she's alive?" Lisbon asked on a solemn note.

"She's alive." Jane answered confidently. "She probably doesn't even know she's in any danger."

"Jane..." Lisbon began with the intent of questioning his logic, but Jane cut her off abruptly.

"I have to go," he lied, efficiently hanging up on his boss. The sun was fading on the horizon when Jane headed back into the house. "Rigsby?" He asked, entering the living room. Collin was nowhere to be seen while the father was comforting his wife again. Great, this complicates things.

"Yeah, Jane." Rigsby answered.

"You need to bring Mrs. Cunningham in for questioning about… her affair." Jane said in a tone just above a whisper. Rigsby stared at Jane.

"You mean actually bring her to headquarters?" Rigsby clarified, dreading the thought. Jane simply nodded. "How do I explain it to her?" Jane shrugged.

"I'm just the consultant. You're the guy in charge." Jane reminded him with an innocent smile. Rigsby swallowed hard before moving across the room to the distraught couple.

"Mrs. Cunningham, we need to bring you down to headquarters… for some… follow-up questions." Rigsby announced. Susan looked up, obviously confused.

"What for? If you need to ask me questions, ask me here."

"It is important that we go down to headquarters." Rigsby added. Mr. Cunningham frowned indignantly.

"What? You're running out of suspects, so you decide to question my wife?" Mr. Cunningham broke in angrily. Jane cringed on Rigsby's behalf.

"We just need to resolve some discrepancies in our timeline." He replied. Jane smiled, impressed with Rigsby's evasion.

"This is absurd." Mrs. Cunningham remarked angrily. Jane stepped up beside Rigsby.

"If we considered you a suspect you would be in handcuffs right now." Jane reasoned with a confident grin. The couple reluctantly agreed to come, but Jane could feel their angry gaze staring at the back of his head the whole car ride there.


	8. Guilt

Chapter 8

7:00 PM

"What are you doing?" Lisbon asked when she found Jane in the office kitchen.

"Making coffee. Want some?" Jane replied, showing her the cup.

"I normally drink coffee in the morning." Lisbon answered. "You need to sleep."

"Couldn't even if I wanted to." Jane responded, taking a sip of his cup.

"I don't remember you ever drinking coffee."

"I don't." Jane shrugged. "Then again, we don't get kidnapping cases very often." They both headed down the hall.

"A good boss would send you home." Lisbon stated. "You look tired."

"Yes, well, you know you need me." Jane replied with a smile as the two entered the interrogation room.

"Is this all necessary?" Susan asked immediately with lingering hostility.

"Yes. If you tell us the truth you'll be out of her soon." Lisbon stated as she sat down at the table. Jane followed.

"What is this about?"

"You lied." Jane started before Lisbon could speak.

"W-what?" Susan stuttered a reply, shocked at the accusation.

"You weren't at your house last night, you didn't see Melony, and you didn't take her to school." Jane stated simply. Susan's eyes darted around the room until she found a spot on the table to stare at.

"I didn't lie."

"Your husband's not here. You can tell us the truth." Lisbon added bluntly.

"I would never let anything happen to her." She said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I know you wouldn't." Jane said, with a sympathetic smile. He reached out his hand to steady hers. She smiled, but still refused to look the agents in the eye.

"I… I didn't see her." She said, tears starting to stream down her face. "It's my fault." She gasped, grasping Jane's hand tightly.

"It's not your fault." Jane replied, watching her intently.

"Yes, it is. I'm supposed to take care of her. I'm a terrible mother." She cried, burdened by guilt.

"We tell ourselves it's our fault, but it never really is." Jane told her. Lisbon glanced at him as he spoke. "We're not perfect. We make mistakes. What matters is what you do after the fact."

"If something happens to Melony, it will forever be my fault. I will never be able to live with myself." Susan shook her head, tears scattering on the tabletop.

"You'd be surprised what you can live with." Jane paused before continuing. "You have a chance to stop anything from happening to her." He reassured her, his eyes revealing empathy. Lisbon couldn't help but notice how wise Jane really was. "Tell us where you were that night." She paused, thinking over what Jane said.

"Will isn't Melony's father." She stated reluctantly. Lisbon looked at her, surprised by the confession. Jane was right.

"Who's Melony's real father?" Lisbon asked.

"His name is Ethan Kasper." She answered. "He's a nice man. I met him 10 years ago at a friend's wedding. We had a fling, but I decided to break it off and stay loyal to my husband. After all, I had Collin to think about and…"

"Then there was Melony." Lisbon finished for her.

"I contacted Ethan about a year ago. He deserved to know he had a daughter and last night I was at his house. He wanted to meet her, but I didn't want to complicate her life."

"So you resumed the affair?" Lisbon asked carefully. Susan paused before nodding slowly.

"Yes."

"Do you think Ethan could have kidnapped Melony?"

"No, of course not. He could never do something like that." She assured Lisbon. Jane could tell she was telling the truth. Of course, he still could have done it.

"Does your husband know about Ethan?" Jane inquired curiously.

"Yeah. He knows Melony's not his daughter, but that never changed anything between them. As for Ethan, they've never met..., but Will knows who he is." Jane shared a look with Lisbon before Lisbon ended the interrogation.

"Mrs. Cunningham, thank you for your help." Lisbon thanked her gratefully. Jane thanked her also, pulling his hand from her grasp. Before they could leave, Susan called after him.

"Wait." Jane and Lisbon both stopped and turned back to the worried mother. "What do I do now?" She asked Jane desperately, hoping he could give her an answer. Jane glanced at Lisbon briefly.

"Be brave." Jane answered simply. "You've done all you can."

"Agent Van Pelt will be in here soon to take you home." Lisbon added, her eyes full of sympathy.


	9. Need

Chapter 9

7:45 PM

Teresa Lisbon and Patrick Jane sat in the car in silence. They were staking out Ethan Kasper's house and their conversation had reduced to silence.

"Why are we just sitting here?" Jane asked, breaking the eerie silence. Lisbon came out of her thoughts and turned to him.

"We're waiting for a warrant." Lisbon explained. "It turns out they're harder to get the later it is." Jane leaned his head on the window and shut his eyes in response. Lisbon's gaze returned to the house they were staking out. She could vaguely see Cho's car on the corner of the next block. She sat in silence until she found herself tapping her fingers on the steering wheel out of boredom and impatience. She looked over at Jane who looked like he was asleep, but by now she knew not to assume anything about Jane. Sure enough, Jane's lips moved to form words.

"Why do you keep staring at me when I sleep?" He asked curiously, his eyes opening slightly. Lisbon was caught off guard, so she answered honestly.

"You look peaceful." She shrugged.

"But I wasn't asleep." Jane pointed out, evidently wishing he were.

"Must we go through this again?" Lisbon asked, glancing out the window at the Ethan Kasper's house. Jane didn't respond, so Lisbon continued, "Why don't you go home to sleep?"

"Because my mattress is not nearly as comfortable… and my commute is non-existent." He answered in a straightforward manner.

"You have to have some kind of reason." Lisbon concluded.

"Yeah, I just told you." Jane continued indifferently, closing his eyes.

"You're not really going to sleep on a stake out, are you?" Lisbon asked.

"Only if my boss will let me." Jane replied nonchalantly. There was brief silence before Lisbon felt compelled to say something.

"I feel so useless. What if that girl's in there right now!" She exclaimed nervously.

"I bet you $40 she's not." Jane replied, hoping to distract Lisbon from her worry.

"I've learned never to bet with you." Lisbon answered, glancing over at the consultant. Jane still had his eyes closed, but he had a smile on his face.

"You didn't lose that much." He remarked with a smug grin. Conversation died down only briefly before Lisbon started talking again.

"I have another question." She declared, looking over at Jane.

"Shoot." Jane replied, refusing to open his eyes.

"How did you do that coin trick?" Jane opened one eye to see her expression.

"Magic." He exaggerated, giving up on sleep.

"No, seriously. It's been bugging me." Lisbon told him. Jane smiled.

"Have a coin?" He asked. Lisbon pulled one out of her pocket and held it out to Jane. Jane reached out and gently grabbed Lisbon's hand and moved her fingers over the quarter on both sides. "Feel a difference?" He asked.

"One side's smoother than the other." Lisbon observed, still rubbing the coin.

"Exactly, so you toss the coin and catch it like so." He explained, throwing the coin in the air and then catching it. "Then while it's in your hand you deceptively rub your thumb against the quarter, so you know what side is facing up. Then when you flip it over you know the answer's going to be the opposite." He then showed her the process, eventually calling, "heads." Jane showed her the result. It was heads.

"So that's how you did it." Lisbon replied with a smile. "But what about when Van Pelt called it?" She ventured.

"When you find out what it is you can quickly turn it over in your hand as you flip it." Jane told her while showing her how to do it. "Want to try?" He asked, offering the coin in his open hand. Lisbon seemed unsure, but eventually nodded.

"Sure." She replied, taking the coin in her hand and then tossing it in the air. It was actually comical in a way, so much so that Jane laughed slightly. "This actually isn't that hard." Lisbon remarked, calling heads.

"Most tricks aren't." Jane replied. He focused his eyes on the house outside. Lisbon caught the coin, and followed Jane's gaze. Someone was driving up to the house.

"Who's that?" Lisbon questioned, unable to discern the male figure.

"Wanna bet it's Will Cunningham?" Jane answered, making a move to get out of the car.

"You stay here." Lisbon ordered. "If he is who you say he is, then it's best to be armed." She proceeded to contact Cho and the others on her walkie-talkie, put on her bulletproof vest, and exited the car leaving Jane by himself.  
**  
The coin trick is pretty cool and actually works.**


	10. Blame

**Here's another chapter to make up for the long lapse in updates. Life has been hectic. This chapter is short, but important.**

Chapter 10

8:20 PM

Jane walked into the house to find Ethan Kasper with a bloody nose and bruised eye while Will Cunningham was placed at the opposite end of the room with a busted lip. Lisbon looked up from where she was standing next to Ethan. Apparently the two men had surrendered to the police without much of a fuss, seeing as no weapons were drawn when he entered the room. Just as Jane had suspected, Ethan had bright green eyes identical to Melony's.

"According to Will, he was just coming to have a word with Ethan." Lisbon explained as she met Jane at the front door.

"If words mean punches." Cho replied, walking up beside Lisbon. Rigsby and Van Pelt followed behind him.

"She's not here." Van Pelt informed them sadly. "If he has her she's somewhere else."

"Maybe he has an accomplice." Rigsby offered. "He's not so stupid as to keep her at his own house."

"That means we have a second man." Lisbon remarked.

"Or woman. The wife could be in on it." Van Pelt suggested.

"There isn't. She's not." Jane answered both questions simultaneously in a calm, patient tone. "This is a distraction." The rest of the team stared at him.

"A distraction from what? By who?" Van Pelt questioned, utterly confused.

"By me." Jane answered with a grin. "It gives the kidnapper the perfect opening."

"What are you talking about?" Rigsby asked, almost as confused as Van Pelt.

"We have to leave now if it's going to work." Jane announced, glancing at his watch. He didn't wait for the team's responses as he disappeared through the front door.

"What?" Lisbon asked before following the consultant. "Hey Jane, where are you going?"

"To find Melony." Jane replied ushering her to follow, seeing as she had the keys to the car. Lisbon quickly ordered Van Pelt to finish pressing charges and Cho and Rigsby to follow her and Jane to the car.

"Jane, where are we going?" She managed to ask as the four of them quickly got in the car.

"The Cunningham's house." He answered.

"Who do you suspect?"

"I had to be sure I was right." Jane replied more to himself than to Lisbon.

"Jane, who kidnapped her?"

**The kidnapper will be revealed in the next chapter. Post your guess in a review! :)**


	11. Patience

Chapter 11

8:44 PM

Lisbon stopped the car a few houses down from the Cunningham residence. Rigsby moved to open the car door, but Jane stopped him.

"Why?" Rigsby questioned, shutting the door carefully.

"We made it here in perfect time." Jane replied.

"You seem to be wide awake now." Lisbon commented, slightly annoyed by Jane's secrecy.

"It's the caffeine kicking in." Jane remarked. They waited in silence for a few minutes until Mrs. Cunningham opened the front door of the house and headed to her car in the driveway. Everyone in the car tensed. Lisbon made no move to follow her and instead just watched her curiously.

"Shouldn't we follow her, boss?" Cho asked from the backseat. Lisbon paused and then looked at Jane for his answer.

"She's innocent." Jane replied, his eyes watching the house intently as if expecting something.

"We're letting her go." Lisbon advised, watching as Susan Cunningham got in her car and drove away. She trusted that Jane knew what he was doing. Well, maybe not completely.

"Where is she going?" Rigsby inquired, a hint of frustration in his voice.

"To post bail for her husband… who was just charged with assault." Jane answered confidently with a clever grin, as if it was a part of his overall plan… and of course it was.

"Wait…" Lisbon frowned, attempting to put the pieces together. "You made us bring in Susan for questioning just to confirm Will's suspicions… and make him hunt down Melony's biological father, Ethan?" Lisbon asked, trying to work through Jane's convoluted plan.

"Pretty much. Luckily, Will didn't bring a gun. I figured he wouldn't, but it was a concern." Jane countered, his eyes trained on the house. Lisbon glared at Jane.

"You used Ethan as bait?" Lisbon questioned, frowning indignantly.

Jane glanced at his boss and quickly added, "Will doesn't have the nerve to kill anyone even if he wanted to. Will was just going in there to rough Ethan up a little and find his daughter." He reasoned, hoping his explanation justified using Ethan Kasper as bait. Lisbon dropped the subject for now and continued sifting through Jane's plan.

"So… you tipped us off to the confrontation between Will and Ethan so we would arrest Will and subsequently lure Susan out of the house… but why?" Lisbon asked, still confused.

"Patience." Jane reasoned, his eyes still focused on the front door.

"You better be right about this." Lisbon directed to Jane.

"I am." He replied confidently. Sure enough, as soon as he said it a second figure left the house and headed toward the remaining car.

"Is that…?" Lisbon started, surprised when she recognized the figure.

The brother, Collin Cunningham, was sneaking out to the remaining car. Lisbon looked over at Jane to read his expression.

"He's careful. He wasn't going to leave the house until his parents were gone." Jane explained, thinking back to how much trouble the kid went through to hide the scent of marijuana on his clothes. The only way to find Melony was to get the parents out of the way.

"Do we stop him?" Cho asked, eager to do _something_. "I don't think he even has a license." He pointed out, giving them a reason to arrest him. Lisbon shook her head slightly.

"No, we'll just follow him." Lisbon replied, putting the car in drive. "He'll lead us to Melony." She continued, glancing over at Jane with a brief smile.

They had a lead.

**Lesalanna, imananthropologist, and ally guessed correctly! Yay for ya'll!**

**Also, does anyone have any good names for this fic with the word red in it? I don't really like the name "Red Eye." I intended it to be a temporary title until I could think of something better.**

**The fanfic is not over yet.  
**


	12. Apprehension

Chapter 12

8:59 PM

Lisbon trailed the blue sedan for about 10 minutes before Rigsby voiced everyone's thoughts.

"Where is he going?" He asked impatiently. They followed Collin through various neighborhoods and side streets. There weren't that many cars on the road, so it was harder to remain inconspicuous.

"Probably to the same place he was last night." Jane replied honestly.

"Why would Collin kidnap Melony?" Lisbon questioned.

"I don't think he had a choice." Jane replied. "He got in deep with drug dealing. He didn't have the funds to pay off his suppliers, so he was driven to desperate measures." Jane explained.

"Drugs?" Rigsby asked, evidently surprised.

"He smokes marijuana… at the least. It would make sense if he was also dealing." Jane reasoned.

"I won't even try to surmise as to how you know these things." Lisbon commented, sparing a glance at the consultant.

"Isn't that self-defeating? He's holding his sister ransom in exchange for his parent's money?" Rigsby questioned.

"He couldn't gain access to his parent's money, so he probably saw this as the only way." Cho replied. "He's an idiot." He furthered.

"He probably did it out of spite too." Lisbon explained, recalling his demeanor towards his parents and the conversation between Jane and her in Melony's room. She believed Jane when he said the mother was controlling and the father was never around, but she had not expected that to be a motive until now. "He wanted to get back at his parents, especially his mom."

"Not to mention he knows about the affair." Jane added casually.

"How'd you figure that out?" Cho asked.

"He told me." Jane shrugged.

"But how was he planning to get away with it?" Rigsby furthered.

"Melony probably doesn't know she's been kidnapped, which is why they wouldn't let her speak during the ransom call." Jane answered.

"When were you planning on telling us your discovery?" Lisbon asked.

"Now." Jane shrugged.

"But if what you say is true, why would Collin risk sneaking out to see Melony?" Lisbon asked. Her eyes were still trained on the car in front of her.

"Collin regrets his involvement. He's going in there to call it off." Jane added. He glanced over at Lisbon.

"They're going to shoot the snitch." Cho stated bluntly. He said what everyone was thinking.

"We don't know who these other people are or what they're capable of." Lisbon concluded, pulling out her gun as their car came to halt. "He's stopping. Call in reinforcements." Lisbon ordered.

Cho picked up a walkie-talkie, "Van Pelt, get some local police and meet us at the corner of Pinehurst and Ellsworth St. The suspect is entering… what looks to be an abandoned warehouse." Meanwhile, Collin exited the vehicle and headed into the building.

"Why's it always a warehouse?" Jane questioned, finding it strangely cliché.

"We're on our way." Van Pelt responded. The team stepped out of the car, strapping on their bulletproof vests. Jane stepped outside too, staring across the silent street. It was perfectly still.

"Something about this is wrong." He commented, observing the area. He hadn't been expecting a warehouse. A warehouse hinted at a bigger operation, one involving more than some teenagers in over their heads.

"We don't have a warrant, boss." Cho stated, as he checked his weapon.

"That only matters if we want to press charges." Lisbon argued. It was very unlike her to go against protocol. "We don't know what will happen when Collin goes in there. What matters is getting that girl out safely."

"If we break in there, we don't have a case against him." Cho reminded her.

"Justice is secondary to reuniting that girl with her family." Jane agreed with Lisbon.

"Maybe we're wrong about this." Rigsby offered. As soon as he finished speaking, a gunshot rang out.

"Still think so?" Cho countered.

"Cho, head around the back and Rigsby, secure the premises and then follow me. I'll head in the front." Lisbon ordered, moving into the street. She turned around briefly. "And Jane, stay here." Lisbon ordered, her eyes showing that she was serious.

"You're not really going in there alone, are you?" Jane asked, his tone sounding almost worried. Lisbon was surprised, but didn't back off her order.

"You don't have a weapon. You'd be more of a liability. Just stay here." Lisbon continued. "Is that understood?" She stressed, sensing some hesitance in Jane's voice.

"Sure, boss." Jane answered. It made sense, but he still couldn't shake the sudden gnawing feeling that something bad was going to happen.

**Note: When shots are fired, the police then have probable cause and can legally enter the building without a warrant.**


	13. Panic

Chapter 13

9:31 PM

Only a few minutes had passed since the team had disappeared into the building. Jane found himself pacing nervously, something he rarely did. _Stay here, Jane. Stay here._ He kept thinking to himself. He was starting to think that Collin was in deeper than he previously thought. Jane felt that the team would be clearly outnumbered. _Stay here._ Jane was pulled out of his thoughts by the walkie-talkie, which was sitting on the roof of the car.

"Jane, you there?" Van Pelt asked urgently.

"Where are you?" Jane quickly answered, hoping they were close.

"We're hurrying. Did they go in?" She asked, picking up on the worry in Jane's voice.

"Yeah, they…" Jane started to explain, but was interrupted as a loud boom echoed down the vacant street. Jane released the talk button.

"What was that?" Van Pelt questioned, having heard the sound.

"Gunshots." Jane answered. He paused briefly before opening the car and tossing the device on the front seat.

"Stay there. We're coming." Van Pelt assured him though her voice was nervous and strained. Jane ignored Van Pelt while leaning into the car in search of a weapon.

She would keep a spare in the glove compartment, Jane thought to himself. He opened the compartment and shuffled through insurance papers until he found the concealed handgun. He checked the gun for bullets and was glad to find that Lisbon was well prepared.

"Jane, did you hear me? Stay there. We're coming." Van Pelt pleaded, but Jane decided to act.

"Van Pelt, I'm going in. Just… hurry." He told her quickly before shutting the car and heading towards the warehouse. Jane carefully tucked the gun into his pants as he wandered around the building's exterior. He looked for a good entrance point, hoping to avoid the most obvious entrances. Meanwhile, the gunfight within the brick walls started again. As he searched, he stumbled upon a window. He peered in to see a dark empty storage room. Jane tried to open it, but found that it was sealed. "Of course." Jane muttered as he pulled out the gun and in one swift movement used it to smash the window. He quickly slipped into the room.

The room was silent, as the apparent gunfire had died down. He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. He slowly opened the door and stepped into a large, dimly lit room. The room was deserted as far as Jane could tell, but walls of boxes obstructed his view. I shouldn't be here, Jane told himself. He stayed towards the sides of the room, drawing towards the part of the building where the gunfire had come from.

Once he reached the far side of the room, he noticed traces of blood on the floor. The image reverted his mind back to the memory of finding his wife and daughter, but he couldn't dwell on that. He forced himself to focus on reality.

A shot rang out nearby and Jane ducked instinctively. It took a moment for him to realize the shot was fired in a different room. Jane sunk to the floor, his back against the wall. His eyes had adjusted to the faint light so he could vaguely see his surroundings. The blood on the floor seemed to emanate from a point on the far wall. Jane slowly and carefully ventured in that direction until he recognized a figure lying on the floor. At first he was sure the boy was dead, but then he realized his eyes were open and were staring at him fearfully.

"Collin." Jane whispered softly, moving slowly toward the wounded 15-year-old. The boy seemed to relax when he recognized the man suddenly looming over him.

"The consultant." Collin replied with a slight smile. Jane squatted down next to him.

"Where are you hit?" Jane asked, glad to see he was alive and speaking.

"Side." He grimaced. Jane checked the boy's vitals first and then his wound. He pulled off part of the boy's sleeve to apply pressure.

"Anywhere else?" Jane asked, trying to gauge the extent of his injuries. It didn't look as bad as he originally thought, but then again he wasn't a doctor.

"I can't tell." Collin answered, his eyes darting around the room nervously. "Where are the cops?" He managed to ask, his eyes turning to Jane. Jane debated whether to tell him the truth or not. He did.

"I don't know." Jane offered. His eyes were focused on dressing Collin's wound. To be honest, he hadn't had much experience with this kind of thing.

"See, I was right. You don't know everything." The boy answered, recalling their first conversation.

"Sometimes I like to think I do." Jane replied, amused by the boy's good humor, especially in such a dire situation. "I'm Patrick by the way." Jane told him, noting how the boy didn't know his name.

"Collin." He answered. The boy grimaced again as Jane applied more pressure. "So Patrick, where'd you get the piece?" He asked, nodding his head toward the gun on the floor next to Jane. "I thought you said you weren't a cop."

"I was supposed to stay by the car." Jane recalled, sharing a brief smile with the boy.

"Then what are you doing in here?" Collin asked.

"Helping this crazy kid I met who got himself shot." Jane answered simply, hoping his makeshift bandage was sufficient. The boy smiled briefly before it faded with his thoughts.

"Do you think," Collin started, "she's okay?" Jane pondered how to answer the question.

"My team will protect her." He offered, hoping he was right.

"Then why is it so quiet? Why haven't they sent in SWAT by now?" Collin questioned, panic entering his voice.

"That's a good sign." Jane surmised, not sure he believed what he was saying. "That means they're alive."

"It just means they have a hostage. Doesn't mean they're alive." Collin replied. Jane didn't have a suitable response to that, so he didn't reply. "That's what you were thinking, right?" Collin asked, reading his thoughts. Jane began to realize how smart Collin really was and how similar he and him were. "She's probably dead and it's all my fault!" The boy suddenly cried, fear and guilt evident in his voice. "It's all my fault!" The last thing Jane needed was for the boy to have a panic attack, so he tried to calm him the best he could.

"Look at me, Collin. You've been shot, but you will be okay. Understand?" Jane looked him in the eye hoping the message would set in. He didn't raise his voice, but rather kept his voice calm like he would during hypnosis. "You will be okay. It is not your fault." He attempted to comfort the boy seeing as his movements were undoing the bandages. The boy paused and looked at Jane directly.

"You don't really believe that." Collin sneered. "You say it, but it's just a lie. If it weren't for me she wouldn't have been here, Melony wouldn't have been in this mess." His voice faded as the truth set in. "She could be dead and it's all my fault." He realized. Jane paused.

"I don't believe it, but I want to." Jane responded calmly; thinking through Collin's words carefully, "I need to. I need to think that somehow... it's not my fault. You have to keep telling yourself that and you will live with it. When you're alone… that's when you can blame yourself. But not here, not now." Jane looked away from Collin and glanced around the room, seemingly paranoid. It was quiet again.

"What happened?" Collin asked, recognizing the truth behind Jane's words.

"You live through this and one day I'll tell you." Jane replied, picking up the gun and getting to his feet. He looked around the room again, but everything was silent.

"You should go." Collin told him. Jane looked down at the teenager. "Lead a surprise attack." He remarked, before sincerely adding, "I'll be fine."

"I can't leave you here." Jane explained; he felt obligated to stay by the boy.

"I'll be fine." Collin reminded him. "Maybe you can find my sister." He added hopefully. Jane thought through his plea and then decided he would at least find his team. He wasn't sure what to expect, but if Melony was alive… Jane was going to find her.

"Keep quiet." Jane told him. He didn't linger and rather turned and moved back to the wall and along it's edge. There were no gunshots and no sirens. He could only hope his team was somewhere in the building. He quickly lost sight of Collin and kept walking along the wall until he found himself facing a staircase.


	14. Déjà Vu

**Here is the climax of the story. I figure that after 13 chapters, loyal readers deserve an intense hostage situation. :)**

Chapter 14

10:04 PM

Silence.

As he started up the steps, he noticed a trail of blood, but he kept going, determined to find Lisbon and the rest of the team. Jane got the uneasy feeling he was too late. He wasn't even sure what he was planning to do when he found the gunmen. The closer he got to the top floor, the stronger the feeling of dread.

Suddenly his mind flashed back to the night his family was murdered and how he had climbed the staircase to find the note from Red John. He remembered how quick happiness was replaced with pure dread and how scared he was to open that door. He grabbed the handrail hoping to steady his racing thoughts. After a short pause, Jane continued to the top… where he found a door. Except this door was not closed completely; it was slightly open. Jane edged towards it, trying to be as silent as possible. He quickly moved to the right of the door, so he could see the scene within. For one brief moment he imagined seeing the symbol of Red John painted on the wall.

Jane could only see a portion of the room, but it was enough. He could only see one gunman. The man had his back to him and was carrying a pistol of some kind. In front of the gunman, Jane could see Melony and Lisbon. Melony was scared and was sitting on the floor, holding her knees tightly. Her knuckles were white after holding on so long and hard. Otherwise, the girl looked unharmed. Naturally, Lisbon was between the girl and the gunman trying her best to talk her way out of the situation, but he could tell from her expression that it was to no avail. He suddenly heard Rigsby's voice from the other side of the room, but his voice was too quiet to decipher any words.

It occurred to Jane that he had no idea what to do. The only way he had a shot at saving his friends was if he maintained the element of surprise, but the only way he could do that was to shoot the gunman in the back. The thought of shooting someone and possibly killing him made Jane sick. He couldn't imagine following through with it. So, his mind reverted to the idea that he could talk his way out of this, but he knew that would never work seeing how desperate the gunman was. This was his ace in the hole and he obviously didn't want to go to prison. His mind skipped to the idea of sitting there thinking until SWAT raided the building or the man surrendered. So far he was going with the latter.

"Shut up! I'm not going to prison!" The stranger's voice shocked Jane out of his thoughts. The man sounded young… very young, but Jane tightened the grip on his gun nonetheless.

"If you surrender to the police, they will give you leniency." Lisbon assured him, her hands were raised above her head and Jane noted how they were shaking slightly, but her face hid any fear and replaced it with steady confidence. The gun was pointed at Lisbon most of the time, but sometimes the gunman shifted it to face the side of the room Jane couldn't see.

"But I didn't do anything wrong!" The man hollered, panic erupting in his voice. He was cornered. Now it was only a question of whether he was going to bring someone down with him. "You weren't supposed to find me! I wouldn't be in this mess if you hadn't followed that idiot Collin!" The gunman was flinging the gun around violently. No one in the room had noticed Jane yet.

"You need to think realistically." Lisbon explained. "How are you planning to get out of this?" Her voice was calm and reassuring with a slight tremor.

"The girl." The man responded, pointing the gun at the girl. Melony shrieked and Lisbon moved to her left to better shield her.

"They have snipers out there and they will kill you." Lisbon replied, her tone more forceful.

"Shut up!" The man yelled, shifting his weight constantly. "I only need the girl. They won't shoot at a little girl!" He reasoned, his eyes darting around the room nervously. He looked behind him and Jane just barely pulled back from his position in time to avoid being spotted.

"You know this isn't going to work." Lisbon told him bluntly. Jane knew the gunman was on edge and at any moment he was going to snap.

"How many times have I told you to shut up?" He yelled resuming his stance, gun pointed at Lisbon and Melony. A quiet voice of protest was heard on the opposite side of the room, but the man took no heed. "They'll know I'm serious if I shut you up!" He realized, anger evident in his resolve.

The man raised the gun.

What happened next was, for Jane, a blur. He's not sure whether he warned him or even if the man fired before Jane pulled out the handgun. It was his instinct that took over, the fact that he couldn't let anything happen to Lisbon and the little girl. He couldn't. He would never forgive himself. And that's what he tried to tell himself as he stared at the aftermath. A boy, no older than Collin, was dead, shot in the back. He just stared, his hands holding the weapon tightly to the point where it hurt.

"Jane?" Lisbon ventured, shocked by the sudden change in events. Jane had come out of nowhere with a gun in his hand. He had fired only once, but the close range made the shot fatal. Lisbon had fallen back to protect the girl, but after a minute, her mind started to process what had just happened.

"Is he…?" Jane started, his voice sounding terrified, his hands still shaking. "I-I killed him." He stuttered, obviously in shock. It took a moment for Lisbon to realize Jane had never killed someone. Jane didn't have a gun or a badge; he was a consultant… a detective.

"Jane?" She said his name louder hoping to get his attention. Jane closed his eyes as if blocking out the image.

"I killed them. I-it's my fault their dead." Jane said, more to himself than to Lisbon. Lisbon realized that his mind was relapsing to when his wife and daughter were killed. This thought made her nervous seeing as he was still holding the gun and the police would be arriving any moment after hearing the gunshots. Lisbon wasn't sure what to say.

"Patrick, you're okay. Everything's going to be okay." She assured him, taking a step towards her friend.

"Stop telling me that!" He raised his voice, raising the gun slightly. Jane sounded angry, but also panicked. She had never seen him panicked. "It's not…" He muttered, opening his eyes again. His voice drifted off as he looked up at Lisbon and seemed to recognize his surroundings. "Just… wait…" He stated, taking a few deep breaths.

"Patrick?" Lisbon asked hoping Jane had averted a complete nervous breakdown. "You can let go of the gun, Patrick." She reminded him taking a few slow steps towards him. He lowered the gun and handed it to her, his eyes trained again on the dead gunman. Lisbon placed a hand on Jane's shoulder and he flinched. "You okay?" She asked, suddenly very worried. Jane looked at her and nodded silently. "Jane, you're covered in blood." She explained to him as if he didn't know.

"It's not mine." Jane informed her, seeming to get his voice back. Jane's gaze peered over her shoulder to the part of the room he couldn't see. Rigsby was sitting against the wall, his hand clasped over his arm obviously wounded. There were also other bodies on the ground, dead from what he could tell. An influx of police entered the room. SWAT was leading the raid, followed by Cho and Van Pelt. Cho, Van Pelt, and a medic scurried over to Rigsby. The medic checked his wound. Rigsby was shot in the shoulder, but was okay. Cho left Rigsby and Van Pelt with the medic and came over to check Lisbon and Jane.

"Are you okay?" Cho asked, bringing Jane out of his thoughts.

"It's Collin's blood." Jane answered, "he's downstairs in the…"

"We already have him." Cho interrupted. "They took him to the hospital about 5 minutes ago." Jane smiled slightly. "What happened?" Cho asked out his own curiosity and for the report, seeing as he pulled out his notepad.

"Let's get to the hospital first. You can meet us there later and we'll give a statement." Lisbon replied, thinking it best for everyone that they get out of there. She patted Jane on the arm, making sure he was stable on his own before moving to Melony who was being laid onto a stretcher. She wasn't hurt, but it was procedure with a kidnapping victim. Lisbon comforted her as they lifted her up.

"You seriously okay?" Cho asked. "You don't seem like yourself."

"Not even a scratch." Jane replied, finding it somewhat ironic that he didn't suffer any injuries. "Can you give me a ride to the hospital?" Jane asked, thinking it best not to drive himself anywhere.

"You'll get blood on the seats." Cho replied bluntly, not liking the idea.

"You're kidding right?" Jane asked, smiling at the absurdity. Cho considered his question, glad to see Jane smiling as usual.

"Is it dry?" He furthered.

"You're giving me a ride." Jane declared, walking past Cho to his car.

**Reviews are appreciated.**


	15. Delusion

Chapter 15

11:18 PM

Jane held his hands under the faucet, thoroughly washing off the blood. He felt panicked as if the blood was poison on his skin, even though it belonged to Collin and not the gunman. It was more what the blood represented… he killed someone. The thought kept running through his head. He killed a 15-year-old boy. Cho had told him that it was self-defense and that he was innocent by law, but that wasn't enough.

The harder part was accepting that he would never get that moment back. He did it to save Lisbon and Melony and yet, it wasn't enough to justify killing someone. His mind would never accept it. He had seen Lisbon kill people, but somehow what he did broke every code he lived by.

Red John killed people, not him. Not Patrick Jane.

"I think your hands are clean." Cho appeared beside him making Jane jump slightly. Cho refrained from asking if he was okay and instead headed toward a stall, pretending that was the real reason he was in the hospital bathroom. Jane sighed and turned off the sink. He then grabbed some towels and dried his hands. He knew he wasn't himself yet and if he didn't start pretending soon, Lisbon would suspend him… if she hadn't already. Or worse, she could send him to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation. He never wanted to go through that again.

Jane stepped out of the restroom into the bustling hospital, which was crowded with doctors and patients alike. He needed time by himself and he figured the best place would be an out of the way waiting room. Jane finally found a quiet room. It was empty save a few people. There was a man in his 30's pacing back and forth along the wall to the left of the door and in the sitting area in the far right corner, a couple was talking quietly. Jane could also see a man sleeping soundly in a seat in the opposite corner. The most interesting person, however, was a little girl about 7-year-old sitting in the front row closest to the door. She was trying to play with a blue yo-yo, but with limited success. The man pacing and the couple both looked at him, surprised by his blood soaked shirt. His hands were clean, but his clothes were permanently ruined.

Jane stepped into the room and sat down two seats away from the little girl. He leaned back and covered his eyes with the palms of his hands. Peace. He stayed like this for about five minutes until a voice pulled him from his thoughts.

"Sweetie, I'm going to go talk to the doctors. I want you to stay right here, okay?" The man who had been pacing was talking to the girl with the yo-yo. Jane sensed fear in his voice; fear he was desperately trying to hide from his daughter. Jane finally opened his eyes to look at the two.

"Okay, Daddy." The girl replied, oblivious to her father's troubles. The man glanced over at Jane suspiciously as if to say 'keep to yourself' and 'stay away from my daughter.' Jane closed his eyes, leaned back into his chair and listened as the man left the room. He really had no interest in talking for once.

Of course, the girl didn't know that.

"I'm Heather." She told him. When Jane opened his eyes, the girl was sitting in the seat next to him.

"I'm Patrick." Jane replied, surprised by the girl's boldness.

"My Daddy bought me a yo-yo from the gift shop downstairs." She said excitedly, eagerly showing it to Jane. Jane couldn't help but smile at the girl's carefree nature.

"Do you know how to use it?" Jane ventured, his worries buried by the child's smile.

"Yeah. See." Heather replied, releasing the yo-yo then bouncing it around on its string. Jane kept smiling.

"Impressive." He told her. "Want to see a neat trick?" He offered.

"You know how to yo-yo?" She asked, bouncing in her seat.

"I went through a phase when I was 12." Jane explained, not sure she knew what that meant. Either way, the girl gave him the yo-yo. Jane rolled up the string and then tied a loop around his finger. He then did the easiest trick he could remember… the classic walking the dog. The girl laughed.

"How do you do that?"

"Magic." Jane replied, using the same line he used with Lisbon. The girl's reaction was highly amusing. He watched as her eyes widened. She squealed with what could only be described as glee. "It's called walking the dog. It just takes a lot of practice." He explained to her.

"What else can you do?" She asked, clenching the edge of her seat. Jane tried to recall another trick.

"I think it's called a Loop the Loop." Jane stood up this time. He sent the yo-yo flying forward, pulled it back, and then snapped his wrist so it would move forward again. Heather laughed again.

"Can I try?" She asked, jumping onto the floor.

"Sure." He replied, handing her the yo-yo and stepping back. She attempted to do the trick, but ended up bouncing the yo-yo around again on the end of the string.

"Nice try. You're a lot better than I was when I first started." Jane told her honestly. Heather didn't seem to mind. She enjoyed bouncing the toy around. Sadly, he could only avoid reality for so long. She was still bouncing the yo-yo when Lisbon entered the waiting room, relieved to have finally found Jane. "Collin is out of surgery. He's going to be okay." She informed him, looking down at Heather. "Hi." She smiled at the little girl. "I'm agent Lisbon." She added with a smile.

"I'm Heather." The girl responded happily. Lisbon turned back to Jane, her eyes curious. Jane just smiled back at her.

"I'm going home to change. Do you need a ride?" Lisbon offered. Jane knew this was only an excuse to talk to him privately about what happened at the warehouse. Despite this, he nodded.

Jane said goodbye to Heather and left the room with Lisbon.

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	16. Love

**This final chapter is Jisbon! Intended to be cute and fluffy. ****Enjoy. **

Chapter 16

11:54 PM

Jane and Lisbon were on the first floor when Jane stopped abruptly. Lisbon could tell from his expression that he had just had an idea.

"What?" She asked curiously. Jane smiled.

"Can you give me 10 minutes? I'll be right back." He asked. He did not wait for an answer and rather turned and disappeared around a corner. Lisbon sighed and sat down in the closest chair. She did not enjoy being forced to wait even longer, but she was glad Jane was acting more like Jane... unpredictable.

Jane returned exactly 10 minutes later.

"Where were you?" She asked suspiciously. He simply smiled and passed by her and into the lobby of the hospital. Lisbon sighed, knowing he was not going to tell her. She followed him to her car, which a police officer had driven to the hospital since Lisbon arrived in the ambulance with Melony.

They got in the car and left the hospital, heading first to Lisbon's apartment.

* * *

12:15 AM

The car ride was silent. Jane blocked out his memories from the day by counting the light poles they passed, while Lisbon had her weary eyes trained on the road in front of her. She wanted to talk to Jane about the shooting, but she wasn't sure how to approach the issue. She finally broke the silence.

"Collin's parents have hired a lawyer. He'll probably stay out of jail." She informed him, hoping to somehow lead into the hostage situation.

"That's good." Jane commented indifferently. He kept counting light poles. Lisbon glanced over at him before continuing.

"Melony claims that Collin was forced to do it." She explained, but Jane did not react. "He went back to save her. The jury will sympathize with him." She furthered, glancing over at him expectantly.

"I'll testify." Jane answered simply, still having no interest in talking. Lisbon sighed, frustrated.

"Jane." She said his name, hoping he could tell what she wanted and, of course, he could without even looking at her.

"You offered me the ride so you could make sure I was stable enough to work. Being the boss, you're held accountable for your team's actions." Jane explained logically, still refusing to face Lisbon. "I'm fine. I don't need any kind of pep talk from you." He furthered with a hint of resentment in his tone. Lisbon frowned.

"That's all you think this is? You think I'm trying to protect my job?" She questioned impatiently. Her voice revealed anger. "I wanted to talk to you because you… scared me." She explained, her voice growing softer. "I was scared you were going to hurt someone, Jane." She continued, recalling the event in her mind. "I'm just worried about you." She concluded, hoping Jane would actually have a conversation with her about what happened.

"Don't be." He countered. His voice sounded tired, but then again, so did hers. "What's done is done." He added, sounding somewhat defeated.

"Don't block me out-" Lisbon began to fire back, but Jane interrupted her before she could finish.

"Lisbon, I'm not like you. I'm not a cop." He explained, finally turning his bright blue eyes to look at her. "I've never shot a person… I've never killed someone." He confessed. "That may be an everyday occurrence for you, but not for me." His eyes drifted back to the window, before finishing. "It's normal for me to be in shock… to be upset. If I wasn't, then you'd have real cause for concern." He reasoned. Lisbon's eyes remained trained on the empty street in front of them. There was an uneasy silence.

"The first time I killed someone, I was a rookie at CBI. We were apprehending a suspect." Lisbon started solemnly, her hands tightening on the wheel. Jane looked over at her. "I wasn't even familiar with arrest procedures. They just told me to watch." She continued, a hint of a laugh in her voice as she remembered how inexperienced she had been. "Then the suspect's cousin arrived at the scene and… he pulled a gun with no warning." She explained, her eyes never looking at Jane. Her grip on the wheel tightened even more to the point where her knuckles turned white. Jane noticed this, but remained silent. "I reacted… out of fear I suppose." She paused. "The man died in the hospital a week later." Lisbon looked like she was close to crying, but Jane knew better than to call attention to it. "The man we had apprehended didn't even commit the murder we were investigating." She confessed despairingly. "Jane, you don't like it. You don't get used to it. You don't forget." She concluded. Jane and Lisbon were silent.

Jane finally decided to speak up about what happened.

"He was just a kid." He pointed out.

"He was going to kill me and that little girl." Lisbon countered, glancing at Jane. "He was dead the moment he pulled that gun. You stopped him from taking anyone with him."

"That doesn't make it right." Jane concluded.

"Would you feel any better if he had killed me?" Lisbon asked, her voice regaining its serious tone. Jane turned to face her, but did not answer her question. He imagined how scared he'd been and how the situation could have ended very differently. Had he not shot him, Lisbon could have died. Jane could not imagine what would happen to him if Lisbon died. "Jane, you saved my life." She stated, glancing at Jane's contemplative expression. "I thought it was the end. I was absolutely terrified and then… you saved us." She furthered with a comforting smile. Jane's eyes met hers only briefly before Lisbon turned back to the street just in time to stop at the red light.

"I guess you owe me then." Jane remarked with a slight smile, trying to lighten the tension.

"Are you kidding? I save you all the time." Lisbon countered playfully. "I definitely don't owe you. That being said, I've got your back." She finished, with a sentimental smile. Jane smiled back at her, amused by Lisbon's attempt at cheering him up… because it worked.

* * *

12:53 PM

Lisbon slowed down the car as her apartment building came into view. She parked out front, pausing before opening the door.

"Want to come up?" She asked Jane.

"Don't we need to go on a date first?" Jane joked with a clever smirk. Something akin to hope briefly flickered in her green eyes before being replaced with a disapproving glare.

"It's either that or you can wait in the car… and I'll probably be awhile." She explained, slowly opening the door and stepping out into the street. Jane smiled and did the same. It was almost one in the morning and the street was quiet and empty. Most of the lights in the buildings were off, leaving only the streetlights to light the sidewalk.

* * *

1:03 AM

Jane followed Lisbon into the apartment and immediately gravitated towards the couch where he collapsed.

"Nice couch." He commented, with a smirk. Lisbon walked up to the couch and looked down at the consultant.

"Don't fall asleep." She warned, before moving past him towards her bedroom. "And don't touch anything." She added.

"Are you scared I'll find your secrets?" Jane remarked. Lisbon stopped by the doorway and turned back to face him. "Because I'm pretty sure I already know them all." Jane continued with a devilish grin. Lisbon sighed and walked toward the center of the room so Jane could see her better. There was only a coffee table between them.

"I doubt that." She challenged, crossing her arms. Jane watched her eyes carefully.

"I know you like me." He commented nonchalantly, still smiling.

Lisbon froze.

She was overwhelmed by a sense of fear and for a moment, she could not respond. Her mind slowly processed what he said and how he said it. She eventually arrived at an answer.

"You're just saying that so you can read my reaction." She responded. His eyes revealed only curiosity and amusement.

"Maybe." He replied casually, sitting up slightly. Lisbon could tell from his expression that he knew. Her shoulders sunk slightly, but her expression was unchanged. "The flash of fear in your eyes gave you away and how your face paled slightly." Jane explained with a clever smile. Lisbon was quiet for another minute before frowning slightly.

"You're not always right." She countered, before abruptly leaving the room. Jane was still smiling after she left.

* * *

1:26 AM

Lisbon had quickly changed into a clean suit and then, for the rest of the time, she sat on her bed, replaying her conversation with Jane in her head. She knew he was waiting for her to give him a ride home, but she had no idea what to tell him. She knew she had feelings for him and that her heart seemed to flutter every time she was alone with him. Lisbon knew she blushed whenever he touched her hand or put her at the center of his attention. She liked his charm and cleverness, and how he could see behind everyone's lies and secrets. Then again, that same clever nature is what put her in this position.

She finally summoned enough courage to face him. Lisbon entered her living room to find the consultant lying on her couch with his eyes closed.

"Jane?" She asked, checking whether he was sleeping. She watched the steady rise and fall of his chest and concluded that he was, in fact, asleep. She felt strangely disappointed. "Why can't I just say it?" She announced to no one in particular. "It was the perfect chance." She continued while pacing. Her voice was quiet so as not to disturb Jane. She sighed and took another look at the consultant, who remained unmoved. Lisbon smiled slightly. She moved towards the lounging chair adjacent to the sofa. She sat down and leaned back. "You were right." She sighed; frustrated with the fact that she could not tell Jane. Something constrained her. She had had the perfect opportunity and now it had been wasted.

While her mind succumbed to her regrets, she noticed movement to her right. She looked over and saw that Jane had a smirk on his face. His eyes were still closed, but he was smiling.

"Jane?" She asked hesitantly.

"You should really know better by now." Jane answered amusedly, his eyes still closed. "Also, do you really talk to yourself when you're alone?" He teased.

"But…" Lisbon started, but she could not find an excuse. There was no reason why she fell for it for a third time.

"So, Teresa, what was I right about?" He questioned, opening his eyes and shifting slightly so he could see her. Lisbon just stared at him until she finally gave in.

"I… I like you." She answered hesitantly. She was relieved yet worried now that her secret was out. Jane kept smiling, but Lisbon could not recognize any other emotion besides amusement.

"In what way?" He furthered. Lisbon gave him a confused look. "Do you want to be my girlfriend?" He elaborated. Lisbon frowned slightly, knowing that Jane was simply messing with her.

"Patrick, we work together." She explained, giving a legitimate excuse for why the conversation should end there. Jane did not buy it.

"Then why'd you call me Patrick?" He asked with a witty smile. His eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief. Lisbon thought over what she said and noticed the slip. Why did I call him Patrick? I never call him Patrick.

"Because it's your name." She countered.

"At work you wouldn't call me Patrick." Jane observed. "That makes this personal, or it implies that you wish this was more personal… like if we were dating or something." He reasoned, thoroughly enjoying himself. Lisbon felt like they were playing a game, one that she was clearly losing. Her mind tried to find a good answer… then she realized something.

"You called me Teresa." She pointed out. This time she was smiling at her own cleverness. Jane was prepared and did not hesitate to answer.

"I guess that means I want you to be my girlfriend." Jane shrugged. He watched Lisbon as she processed what he said. Her expression revealed shock. Her green eyes widened and her cheeks blushed a bright red. "You're cute when you're surprised." He commented. Jane had won the game.

"You… like me?" She asked, her face glowing even brighter. "You're not just messing with me?" She asked almost fearfully.

"Do you need proof?" He asked. Jane then pulled his feet off the couch and onto the floor, thus making room on the couch. "Sit." He directed, patting the spot next to him with his hand. Lisbon hesitated before complying. She stood up and moved past Jane and to the seat next to him. With that he turned to look at her.

"What? Are you going to kiss m-" Lisbon started to tease, but Jane silenced her... with a tender kiss. In one swift movement, Jane closed the space between them and easily caught her lips with his. His hand moved to caress her cheek and pull her closer to him. Lisbon did not pull away. Instead, she closed her eyes and returned the kiss with equal enthusiasm. Her hand brushed against the back of his neck until she could feel his curly blond hair between her fingertips. Jane could feel Lisbon smiling behind the kiss, which made him smile back. They were both truly enjoying the moment, but they finally broke apart so they could breathe. Between gasps for air, the two found themselves laughing. Lisbon shoved Jane slightly as revenge for setting her up with his incessant questioning. She then leaned into him, resting her arm across his chest. She was careful to avoid the stain on his shirt, which was now dry and faded, but still a reminder of the day's events. Jane wrapped his arm around Lisbon so that his hand was resting on her shoulder and was holding her near him. Then, he rested his head against hers and the back of the sofa. For the first time in a long time, he felt at home.

Jane and Lisbon laid in that position for a few minutes before Lisbon remembered that they were supposed to continue to Jane's house so he could change and then back to the hospital. She shifted slightly, but found that Jane was unmoved.

"Patrick?" She asked wearily, carefully moving so she could see his face. His head was leaning against the back of the couch. His eyes were closed and he had a peaceful expression on his face. Lisbon smiled and returned to her original position with her head resting on his chest. "Good night." She said softly.

* * *

11:02 AM

Collin Cunningham was unnerved by a constant beeping sound coming from his right. He slowly opened his eyes and was blinded by light. He moaned slightly, before painfully sitting up and taking in his surroundings. He was in a hospital, but he was not alone. His little sister, Melony, was asleep in the chair to his left with her feet resting on his bed. He smiled. Up until now, he was not sure he would ever see her again. He wanted to wake her up and give her a hug, but he decided to let her sleep. She needed the rest. He stared at her for another minute, before his eyes drifted to his night table where two objects caught his eye.

On his table there were two yo-yos, one green and one blue, with a letter set up next to them. The card had a beautiful photo of a sunrise on the beach with a cloud of seagulls taking to the skies. Collin admired the photo before opening the card to see who it was from.

_Collin and Melony,_

_We'll stop by the hospital this afternoon. Enjoy the yo-yos!_

_Sincerely,  
Patrick Jane and Teresa Lisbon_

THE END

**Thanks for reading and reviewing! I hope you enjoyed and _please_ review! Happy Holidays! **

**Hadley**

**P.S. Reviews inspire me to write more stories, so please review and tell me what you think of this story or what you may want to read in the future.****Thanks.**

**I'm currently working on another Jisbon fic, _Red Roses_.  
**


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